120°

Nintendo’s Iwata Under Fire After Failing to Meet Wii U Pledge

Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata, who tripled revenue by introducing hits like the Wii console, is coming under fire from some investors and analysts after the company’s latest game machine flopped.

“Iwata misunderstood the market,” said Yasuaki Kogure, chief investment officer at Tokyo-based SBI Asset Management Co., which holds Nintendo shares. “His direction is not what it should be.”

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bloomberg.com
RPG_Lover3746d ago

Nintendo is doing fine. It was the most successful out of the big 3 in 2013

serratos273746d ago

I'm sorry but, what?

"The Wii U has sold 5.3 million units since its launch in November 2012, compared to the 4.4 million Sony PS4s and 3.1 million Microsoft Xbox Ones that have been sold since November 2013."

http://www.dailyfinance.com...

RPG_Lover3745d ago

3DS sold more than ps3, ps4, vita combined in 2013. Whose int trouble?

nukeitall3745d ago

I am surprised how resilient the sale of 3DS has been to the onslaught of tablets and smartphones.

Just see how PS Vita has taken a beating, a massive beating!

Nintendo somehow miraculously turned around the 3DS, so who knows, maybe they will turn around the Wii U. They have done it before, so I have belief they will.

Since I don't own a Wii U, I cannot judge for myself their issues, but they need to seriously invest into cloud, and more American approach to network infrastructure. This old fashion company needs to get outside help asap!

I believe that Nintendo will recover with their history of innovation. Nintendo has weathered so many generations!

cleft53745d ago (Edited 3745d ago )

Nintendo isn't doing fine, but this absolutely needed to happen in order to force change. The sad reality is that Nintendo is an old company with far too many traditional views. They have to come into the new age, but I would rather have Iwata at the helm because a lot of the content Nintendo produces is amazing. The problem is selling their hardware to distribute their content, not the content itself. This situation will force the company to evolve.

wolokowoh3745d ago

@nukeitall The problem with Vita is the perceived value. If something is fairly expensive and isn't getting tons of AAA(in marketing budget)support then it's not going to be perceived as being a good value. If it was $169 with a 16 gb card, suddenly it's an extremely good value with the big name games. Once it sells well, it then gets full third party support. The problem is Sony is content with where they are at. There is not a lot of risk being taken because the thing is already very profitable because of the game attach rate.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3745d ago
ABizzel13745d ago (Edited 3745d ago )

@ElementalKnight

Nintendo, because while the 3DS was the best selling hardware it still didn't make it's sales goal either (which was fine IMO, since anything over 10 million annually is a breakaway success), and whatever progress they're making with the 3DS is being completely devoured by the Wii U.

Wii U didn't reach 1/3 of it's sales goal, which is a complete failure considering it was aiming for 9 million units sold. That's HORRIBLE for a new console, which are usually around the 6 - 8 million mark after their first full year on the market, and Wii U failed to hit half of that. Even at $600 the PS3 still reached those numbers, and the XB360 was the underdog going into the last generation and it just missed the 7 million marked by a couple hundred thousand units in it's first full year (mainly due to people holding out to see what the PS3 was going to bring and cost).

The PS3 is a 7+ year old console and it's still selling 8 million units annually, and the 360 is an 8 year old console with a huge lack of exclusives for the past couple of years and it's still doing about 6 million units annually. The Wii U is selling ATROCIOUSLY.

No one's painting a doom and gloom picture for Nintendo as a company yet, but the Wii U is in serious trouble if they can't get their sales up. Nintendo and SPECIFICALLY 3RD PARTIES can't/won't make games with million dollar budgets if there's not enough of an audience to recoup the cost. That's why 3rd parties such as EA aren't even bothering with the Wii U. Why would they spend a few million to port and get Battlefield 4 running on Wii U when the best selling FPS (COD) can't even break 300k units on Wii U, and COD: Ghost barely broke 100k units.

3DS is doing great, but the Wii U is on it's last leg, and if something big doesn't happen for them in 2014 with their strong line-up of exclusives, hopefully an Ambassador program, a price-cut, thus at least doubling their annual sales then the Wii U is officially dead.

They need to stop production of Wii U hardware, sell the remaining stock, and launch a redesign at E3 with the price cut.

serratos273745d ago

The article is referring to the Wii U and you mentioned "the big 3"....

DeadRabbits3745d ago (Edited 3745d ago )

Only hope now for Ni tendo is to start publishing Third Party on PS4/Vita

mhunterjr3745d ago

Clearly the 3ds isn't enough to hold the entire company afloat. Why do you think they've cut their earnings projection be 65%. That's not a sign of a company doing just fine.

TheEnigma3133745d ago

Nintendo will be ok, but the WiiU is in trouble. Don't be in denial. They can still turn it around; there's time.

3745d ago
3-4-53745d ago

3DS has been able to hold on because it has what iphones and tablets don't.

Good games, with efficient controls.

Imagine having to watch tv while swiping your fingers and hand across the screen, blocking your view.

We humans put up with some dumb stuff in order to " be cool"...

Hicken3745d ago

Just stop already.

The 3DS is doing fine. Nintendo is not. Not to say they are doomed, but they did not do what they expected to do. And they missed by quite a bit. That's not fine, especially in the eyes of people who invest their money in the company.

It shouldn't be "fine" in the eyes of their fans, either.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 3745d ago
Stedron3745d ago

"Nintendo is doing fine"

I'm sure the share holders disagree with you.

esemce3745d ago

Yes Nintendo are fine thanks to the haldhelds and the Wii sales. But the WiiU is not, Iwata need to go they need to employ someone who understands the importance of 3rd party support and a modern online eco system.

With all the money they earned they could of made the Wii U a lot more powerful and with all their IP's they should of had devs working on those titles we all love, there should be a steady stream of great 1st party games making the Wii U an essential purchase.

So yeah fu*k Iwata as he has done nothing for the hardcore oldschool Nintendo fans since the Wii.

link2Dpast3745d ago

i mean the Wii was a cultural phenomenon and i give the guy props for taking that risk. Yes Nintendo wasent the first with the idea of motion controls but they put their neck on the line and wow did it pay off. As for the troubles now i can understand from the focal point of business and the strategy that was put forward is not catching up to the promises and hopes that they give out and investors and gamers are upset. You make all that money with Wii and 3ds but this mistake is basically taking all of that away, its as if the wii and 3ds phenomenon is a loan for what is the WiiU.

I say test the waters, if mario kart or smash dont give you the numbers you want sales wise, then thats the nail in the coffin and just move on. Mario 3D world did good but not to what it can and i believe that's a first sign of worse to come. So test waters on your other top system sellers especially mario kart and smash bro, whenever that is coming out, but if the present proves anything, it a good indication if mario aint selling then this pipe is clogged just move on.

BenqMagician3745d ago

"Mario 3D world did good but not to what it can" the reason is it was the wrong game to release at that time they should have sold Mario kart or even smash bros. All I am saying is so far there's no game released that has attracted the majority of gamers to buy this console(or even consider looking at the wii u).

link2Dpast3745d ago

im a huge Nintendo fan, i have all their freaking systems but it true their just isnt a game that has attracted me. Some people throw out all these games that i know are great but im not basing them on quality, they just dont lure me into buying them. Something like mario kart yes i would buy.

To your point your right they should have released mario kart, shoot it should be one of their launch games every gen. A game like that has alot of replay value and every one buys it. It so easy to sustain its replay value as well so that it doesnt become bland, during it cycle gen all they would have to do is give it DLC ever so often, simple. I dont get it, it so straight forward to us the gamers and seems so simple and it is but Nintendo has to just do what we want.

Kriandis3745d ago (Edited 3745d ago )

Nintendo making amazing games has never been a problem.
What Nintendo needs to figure out is how to make a console that "Western" consumers and developers want.

If Nintendo made a system, other than the Wii U, that was comparative to the power and online capabilities of the PS4 and Xbox1, we would not be having this conversation now.
Sony released the PS4 in the U.S. first for a reason...It is catered to western audience tastes.
Nintendo needs someone like Sony's Mark Cerny that understands what consumers and developers want.

The tide has turned. Nintendo needs to cater to us western gamers instead of japanese gamers, as far as consoles go, and keep making the games they always have and things will be fine.

curtis923745d ago

Gamecube was an overall commercial failure. Wii struck gold with the casual and non-gamers which turned it into a fad. Without that fad, the WiiU is doomed to repeat, if not perform worse, than the Gamecube, seeing as how Gamecube at least had decent 3rd party support. Wii U barely has any at all.

Hell even if the Wii U had the same hardware as ps4/xb1, Nintendo has still largely ignored Online. So even then, it'd still be at a disadvantage. Factor in that it's basically a ps3/360 in terms of hardware and you're left with the recipe of failure.

Show all comments (24)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10111d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref10d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde10d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197210d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville10d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218310d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos10d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 10d ago
isarai11d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref10d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan10d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0079d ago (Edited 9d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197211d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

10d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197210d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

10d ago
10d ago
Zeref10d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde10d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197210d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197210d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier10d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto10d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218310d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto9d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 9d ago
Hofstaderman10d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts10d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts9d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic9d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel17d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8816d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing16d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS16d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder15d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff218315d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.